Where's the Water?

My participation in Renaissance 2010 held many factors that affect healthy choices. Stress, packing, travel, a hotel stay, eating away from home, limited personal time, interpersonal issues, lack of usual routine, and other obstacles had the capacity to derail the greatest of intentions. I am convinced that since I didn't succumb to emotional coffee/diet pop urges during this event, then I have proved to myself that I can "do" life without this particular pleasure or comfort. If feels good to be on the other side and say, "I did it then and I can keep doing it." I am wary though, because at any moment, I could change my mind and be right back where I was before.

At one particular moment, late on the first night away pre-conference, I wrote the following:

"Today I have had at least 4 bottles of water in my possession, never finished one of them, and now I have none."

Just after midnight, I had found myself in the hotel room that I was sharing with two of my co-workers without a drop of purified water in my possession. We had taken great care to ensure that small cases of bottled water were purchased and delivered to each of the board member's and guest speaker's rooms but had neglected to make any arrangements for ourselves!

A co-worker who was staying in another room dropped by to say she needed water and would any of us like her to buy us a bottle too? "Yes!" was our enthusiastic response. She returned minutes later saying that they were sold out and that she had gotten the last bottle before she rushed to her room for the night.

Sold out? The whole hotel? I was beyond exhausted and although I could see a Wal-Mart across the street, I couldn't fathom getting dressed and driving over to buy something to drink. I berated myself for not planning better and for losing every water bottle I had taken for granted that day. For the next hour I suffered quietly from a number of minor discomforts until finally I realized I was not going to sleep until I took care of them. I trudged to the lobby of the hotel and what did I find? Turns out there was plenty of cold bottled water after all. My co-worker had emptied the last bottle from the 2nd floor machine only! Here I had thought I was in a hotel desert and was prepared to suffer til morning because of it!

Someone asked me later, "Why didn't you just drink from the tap?" Funny, I never even thought about it--that's how tired I was!